NZ's third largest export industry
Revenues from forest product exports exceed $NZ3 billion a year, making forestry New Zealand's third largest export industry.
Australia is the biggest export market ($NZ .79 billion). Other markets include the United States, Japan and Korea, with developing markets like China and India playing an increasingly important role.
The total harvest is approximately 20 million m3, of which 13 million m3 is further processed in New Zealand into lumber, panel products, joinery, furniture and pulp & paper products. The balance is exported as logs and poles (2008 figures).
Log export volume over the year ending June 2009 increased 26.1%to 7.6 million m3 with an increase in export earnings of 57.6% to $NZ877 million when compared with the June 2008 year. The considerable rise in log export volumes cna be attributed to increased demand from China.
The total volume of logs harvested over the year ending June 2009 increased 3.3 per cent when compared with the June 2008 year to 19.5 million m3.
